John 1
1
The Life-Light
1-2The Word was first,
the Word present to God,
God present to the Word.
The Word was God,
in readiness for God from day one.
3-5Everything was created through him;
nothing—not one thing!—
came into being without him.
What came into existence was Life,
and the Life was Light to live by.
The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness;
the darkness couldn’t put it out.
6-8There once was a man, his name John, sent by God to point out the way to the Life-Light. He came to show everyone where to look, who to believe in. John was not himself the Light; he was there to show the way to the Light.
9-13The Life-Light was the real thing:
Every person entering Life
he brings into Light.
He was in the world,
the world was there through him,
and yet the world didn’t even notice.
He came to his own people,
but they didn’t want him.
But whoever did want him,
who believed he was who he claimed
and would do what he said,
He made to be their true selves,
their child-of-God selves.
These are the God-begotten,
not blood-begotten,
not flesh-begotten,
not sex-begotten.
14The Word became flesh and blood,
and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
the one-of-a-kind glory,
like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
true from start to finish.
15John pointed him out and called, “This is the One! The One I told you was coming after me but in fact was ahead of me. He has always been ahead of me, has always had the first word.”
16-18We all live off his generous abundance,
gift after gift after gift.
We got the basics from Moses,
and then this exuberant giving and receiving,
This endless knowing and understanding—
all this came through Jesus, the Messiah.
No one has ever seen God,
not so much as a glimpse.
This one-of-a-kind God-Expression,
who exists at the very heart of the Father,
has made him plain as day.
Thunder in the Desert
19-20When Jews from Jerusalem sent a group of priests and officials to ask John who he was, he was completely honest. He didn’t evade the question. He told the plain truth: “I am not the Messiah.”
21They pressed him, “Who, then? Elijah?”
“I am not.”
“The Prophet?”
“No.”
22Exasperated, they said, “Who, then? We need an answer for those who sent us. Tell us something—anything!—about yourself.”
23“I’m thunder in the desert: ‘Make the road straight for God!’ I’m doing what the prophet Isaiah preached.”
24-25Those sent to question him were from the Pharisee party. Now they had a question of their own: “If you’re neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet, why do you baptize?”
26-27John answered, “I only baptize using water. A person you don’t recognize has taken his stand in your midst. He comes after me, but he is not in second place to me. I’m not even worthy to hold his coat for him.”
28These conversations took place in Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing at the time.
The God-Revealer
29-31The very next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and yelled out, “Here he is, God’s Passover Lamb! He forgives the sins of the world! This is the man I’ve been talking about, ‘the One who comes after me but is really ahead of me.’ I knew nothing about who he was—only this: that my task has been to get Israel ready to recognize him as the God-Revealer. That is why I came here baptizing with water, giving you a good bath and scrubbing sins from your life so you can get a fresh start with God.”
32-34John clinched his witness with this: “I watched the Spirit, like a dove flying down out of the sky, making himself at home in him. I repeat, I know nothing about him except this: The One who authorized me to baptize with water told me, ‘The One on whom you see the Spirit come down and stay, this One will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ That’s exactly what I saw happen, and I’m telling you, there’s no question about it: This is the Son of God.”
Come, See for Yourself
35-36The next day John was back at his post with two disciples, who were watching. He looked up, saw Jesus walking nearby, and said, “Here he is, God’s Passover Lamb.”
37-38The two disciples heard him and went after Jesus. Jesus looked over his shoulder and said to them, “What are you after?”
They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
39He replied, “Come along and see for yourself.”
They came, saw where he was living, and ended up staying with him for the day. It was late afternoon when this happened.
40-42Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John’s witness and followed Jesus. The first thing he did after finding where Jesus lived was find his own brother, Simon, telling him, “We’ve found the Messiah” (that is, “Christ”). He immediately led him to Jesus.
Jesus took one look up and said, “You’re John’s son, Simon? From now on your name is Cephas” (or Peter, which means “Rock”).
43-44The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. When he got there, he ran across Philip and said, “Come, follow me.” (Philip’s hometown was Bethsaida, the same as Andrew and Peter.)
45-46Philip went and found Nathanael and told him, “We’ve found the One Moses wrote of in the Law, the One preached by the prophets. It’s Jesus, Joseph’s son, the one from Nazareth!” Nathanael said, “Nazareth? You’ve got to be kidding.”
But Philip said, “Come, see for yourself.”
47When Jesus saw him coming he said, “There’s a real Israelite, not a false bone in his body.”
48Nathanael said, “Where did you get that idea? You don’t know me.”
Jesus answered, “One day, long before Philip called you here, I saw you under the fig tree.”
49Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi! You are the Son of God, the King of Israel!”
50-51Jesus said, “You’ve become a believer simply because I say I saw you one day sitting under the fig tree? You haven’t seen anything yet! Before this is over you’re going to see heaven open and God’s angels descending to the Son of Man and ascending again.”
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John 1: MSG
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.
John 1
1
Prologue
1In the beginning # Gn 1:1; Col 1:18 was the Word, # The Word (Gk Logos) is a title for Jesus as the communication and the revealer of God the Father; Jn 1:14,18; Rv 19:13. # Jn 1:14; 1Jn 1:1; Rv 19:13
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God. # Jn 20:28; Php 2:6
2He was with God in the beginning. # Jn 8:38; 17:5; Ac 26:4
3All things were created # Col 1:16; Heb 1:2 through Him, # Rm 11:36
and apart from Him not one thing was created
that has been created.
4Life was in Him, # Other punctuation is possible: . . . not one thing was created. What was created in Him was life # 1Jn 2:5
and that life was the light # Ps 36:9; Jn 12:46 of men.
5That light shines # 1Jn 2:8 in the darkness,
yet the darkness did not overcome # Or grasp, or comprehend, or overtake ; Jn 12:35 it. # Php 3:12
6There was a man named John # Mk 1:4
who was sent from God.
7He came as a witness
to testify about the light,
so that all might believe through him. # Or through it (the light)
8He was not the light,
but he came to testify # Jn 15:26 about the light.
9The true light, # Jn 12:46 who gives light to everyone,
was coming into the world. # Or The true light who comes into the world gives light to everyone, or The true light enlightens everyone coming into the world. # Jn 18:37; 1Jn 2:8
10He was in the world,
and the world was created # Jn 1:3 through Him,
yet the world did not recognize Him.
11He came to His own, # The same Gk adjective is used twice in this verse: the first refers to all that Jesus owned as Creator (to His own); the second refers to the Jews (His own people).
and His own people # The same Gk adjective is used twice in this verse: the first refers to all that Jesus owned as Creator (to His own); the second refers to the Jews (His own people). did not receive Him.
12But to all who did receive # 2Jn 10 Him, # Jn 5:43
He gave them the right # Mk 1:22; Ac 9:14 to be # Or become children # Lk 1:7 of God, # Mt 5:9; Jn 11:52; Rm 8:16; 1Jn 3:1
to those who believe # Jn 3:16 in His name, # Jn 10:25; 1Jn 3:23
13who were born, # 1Pt 1:3
not of blood, # Lit bloods ; the pl form of blood occurs only here in the NT. It may refer either to lineal descent (that is, blood from one’s father and mother) or to the OT sacrificial system (that is, the various blood sacrifices). Neither is the basis for birth into the family of God.
or of the will # 1Co 7:37; 16:12; Eph 2:3; 2Tm 2:26; 2Pt 1:21 of the flesh, # Php 3:3
or of the will of man, # Or not of human lineage, or of human capacity, or of human volition
but of God. # 1Pt 1:3; 1Jn 2:29
14The Word # Jn 1:1 became flesh # The eternally existent Word (vv. 1-2) took on full humanity but without sin; Heb 4:15. # Php 2:7; 1Jn 4:2; 5:20
and took up residence # Or and dwelt in a tent ; lit and tabernacled ; this word occurs only here in John. A related word, referring to the Festival of Tabernacles, occurs only in 7:2; Ex 40:34-38. among us.
We observed His glory, # Mk 10:37; Jn 17:24
the glory as the One and Only # Heb 11:17; 1Jn 4:9 Son # Son is implied from the reference to the Father and from Gk usage. from the Father,
full of grace and truth.
15(John testified concerning Him and exclaimed,
“This was the One of whom I said,
‘The One coming after me # Mt 3:11; Mk 1:7; Jn 1:27,30 has surpassed me, # Col 1:19
because He existed before me.’ ”) # Jn 3:13; 8:58; 10:30; 14:7-9,23; Php 2:6
16Indeed, we have all received grace # Ac 15:11; 2Pt 3:18 after grace
from His fullness,
17for the law was given through Moses, # Ps 77:20; Mt 8:4; Heb 3:2
grace and truth # Ps 119:142; Jn 14:6; 2Th 2:10 came through Jesus Christ.
18No one has ever seen God. # Since God is an infinite being, no one can see Him in His absolute essential nature; Ex 33:18-23.
The One and Only # 1Jn 4:9 Son # Other mss read God —
the One who is at the Father’s # Mt 5:16; 11:27; Jn 8:42 side # Lit is in the bosom of the Father —
He has revealed Him. # Mt 11:27; Lk 10:22; 1Jn 2:24
John the Baptist’s Testimony
19This is John’s testimony when the Jews from Jerusalem # Mt 23:37 sent priests # Ac 4:1 and Levites # Ex 6:19; Lk 10:32 to ask him, “Who are you? ”
20He did not refuse to answer, but he declared: “I am not the Messiah.” # Mt 1:17; Eph 5:2
21“What then? ” they asked him. “Are you Elijah? ” # Mal 4:5; Mt 11:14; 17:10-13; Mk 8:28; Lk 1:17
“I am not,” he said.
“Are you the Prophet? ” # Probably the Prophet in Dt 18:15 # Dt 18:15; Mt 2:23
“No,” he answered.
22“Who are you, then? ” they asked. “We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What can you tell us about yourself? ”
23He said, “I am a voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord # Is 40:3 # Is 40:3 — just as Isaiah # Mt 3:3; 4:14; 12:17 the prophet said.”
24Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. # Mk 7:3 25So they asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you aren’t the Messiah, or Elijah, or the Prophet? ”
26“I baptize with # Or in water,” # Mk 1:8 John answered them. “Someone stands among you, but you don’t know Him. 27He is the One coming after me, # Other mss add who came before me # Jn 1:15 whose sandal strap I’m not worthy to untie.”
28All this happened in Bethany # Other mss read in Bethabara across the Jordan, # Another Bethany, near Jerusalem, was the home of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary; Jn 11:1. # Mk 10:1; Lk 3:3 where John was baptizing.
The Lamb of God
29The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Here is the Lamb of God, # Is 53:7; Ac 8:32; 1Pt 1:19; Rv 5:6 who takes away the sin # Jn 15:22; 1Jn 3:5 of the world! 30This is the One I told you about: ‘After me comes a man who has surpassed me, because He existed before me.’ 31I didn’t know Him, # Jn 7:28 but I came baptizing with # Or in water so He might be revealed # 2Co 4:11; 1Jn 1:2 to Israel.”
32And John testified, “I watched the Spirit # Ps 51:11; Jn 1:33; Ac 2:4; Rm 8:9; Gl 5:25; Ti 3:5; 1Jn 5:8; Rv 3:22 descending from heaven like a dove, and He rested on Him. # Jms 4:5 33I didn’t know Him, but He # He refers to God the Father, who gave John a sign to help him identify the Messiah. Vv. 32-34 indicate that John did not know that Jesus was the Messiah until the Spirit descended upon Him at His baptism. who sent me to baptize with # Or in water told me, ‘The One you see the Spirit descending and resting on — He is the One who baptizes with # Or in the Holy Spirit.’ # Mt 3:11; Mk 1:8; Lk 3:16; Ac 11:16 34I have seen and testified that He is the Son of God! ” # Other mss read is the Chosen One of God # Mt 3:17; 4:3; Jn 1:49; 5:19; Heb 1:2
35Again the next day, John was standing with two of his disciples. 36When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look! The Lamb of God! ”
37The two disciples heard him say this and followed Jesus. 38When Jesus turned and noticed them following Him, He asked them, “What are you looking for? ”
They said to Him, “Rabbi” # Jn 11:8 (which means “Teacher”), “where are You staying? ”
39“Come and you’ll see,” He replied. So they went and saw where He was staying, and they stayed with Him that day. It was about 10 in the morning. # Lit about the tenth hour. Various methods of reckoning time were used in the ancient world. John probably used a different method from the other 3 Gospels. If John used the same method of time reckoning as the other 3 Gospels, the translation would be: It was about four in the afternoon.
40Andrew, # Mt 4:18-22; Mk 1:16-20; Lk 5:2-11 Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John and followed Him. 41He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah! ” # In the NT, the word Messiah translates the Gk word Christos (“Anointed One”), except here and in Jn 4:25 where it translates Messias. # Mt 1:17 (which means “Anointed # Ex 29:29 One”), 42and he brought Simon to Jesus.
When Jesus saw him, He said, “You are Simon, son of John. # Other mss read Simon, son of Jonah You will be called Cephas” # 1Co 1:12; 3:22; 9:5; 15:5; Gl 1:18; 2:9,11,14 (which means “Rock”).
Philip and Nathanael
43The next day He # Or he, referring either to Simon Peter (vv. 41-42) or Andrew (vv. 40-41) decided to leave for Galilee. Jesus found Philip # Mk 3:18 and told him, “Follow Me! ”
44Now Philip was from Bethsaida, # Jn 12:21 the hometown of Andrew and Peter. 45Philip found Nathanael # Probably the Bartholomew of the other Gospels and Acts # Jn 1:46-49; 21:2 and told him, “We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law (and so did the prophets # Mt 2:23; Ac 7:52; Rm 3:21): Jesus the son of Joseph, # Mt 1:16; Lk 1:27; 2:4,16,33; 3:23; Jn 6:42 from Nazareth! ” # Mk 1:9
46“Can anything good # Gn 1:31 come out of Nazareth? ” Nathanael asked him.
“Come and see,” Philip answered.
47Then Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him and said about him, “Here is a true Israelite; # 2Co 11:22 no deceit is in him.”
48“How do you know me? ” Nathanael asked.
“Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you,” Jesus answered.
49“Rabbi,” # Jn 11:8 Nathanael replied, “You are the Son # Jn 5:19 of God! You are the King of Israel! ” # Mt 27:42; Mk 15:32; Jn 12:13
50Jesus responded to him, “Do you believe only because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You # In Gk, the word you is sg and refers to Nathanael. will see greater things than this.” 51Then He said, “I assure you: You # In Gk, the word you is pl and refers to Nathanael and the other disciples. will see heaven opened and the angels of God # Lk 12:8-9; 15:10; Ac 10:3 ascending and descending # Gn 28:12 on the Son of Man.” # Mk 2:10
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